Puppets in the hands of ultra-greasy slimeballs

PALINI R. SWAMY writes from Bangalore: The nomination of candidates for the assembly elections has followed a set pattern, suggesting that our political parties and politicians are like stuck records—they play the same song again and again hoping no one will notice.

So, we hear of tickets being “sold” for crores, as usual. So, we hear of real-estate, mining and other lobbies gaining a stranglehold, as usual. So, we hear of vandalism and defection on being denied tickets, as usual. So, we hear of caste and religion playing a big role, as usual.

So, etcetera, as usual.

We have heard all this before, we will keep hearing them again.

But if there is one set of nominations (so far) that shines a neat mirror on the stagnating, even regressive (male) mindsets we are dealing with, it comes to us courtesy of the nominees the Congress has deployed to take on H.D. Deve Gowda‘s sons, H.D. Kumaraswamy and H.D. Revanna.

The grand old party has picked two women to take on the sons of the son of the soil. In Ramanagaram, Ramakrishna Hegde‘s daughter Mamata Nichani (right) will take on the former chief minister. And in Holenarsipur, G. Puttaswamy Gowda‘s daughter-in-law Anupama (left) will take on his elder brother.

By itself, the nomination of women by Sonia Gandhi‘s party would have been welcome. While the 33 per cent reservation drama goes on and on, a 100 per cent reservation for women in the star-constituencies is a gift-horse the other 50 per cent of the electorate will not look in the mouth.

But….

But, this is less about women and more about the men behind them. As many Congress women have asked, especially about Mamata Nichani, are these two women—both related to powerful male politicians—the only women the Congress could find in a party that has been around for so long?

If that disease is easily diagnosed in a party where progenies are born not with a silver spoon in their mouths but with a Congress designation in their diapers, the obscurantist justification for putting up Mamata and Anupama takes your breath away, even if all is fair in love, war and elections.

If you decipher one newspaper report today, quoting sources close to that great statesman of our time D.K. Shiva Kumar, the decision to put up Mamata and Anupama is not a reflection of their political acumen or prowess but of their psychological impact on the “enemy”.

Apparently, the Congress bosses in the State consulted some astrologers who ruled that women were the Achilles‘ heel of the men of the Gowda kutumb.

Apparently, the Gowda family has been worshipping Lord Shiva, so the males have the blessings and protection of Rudra. But that power (of the Gowdas, presumably) wanes in front of women who are seen to be the epitome of Parvati. Hence, Mamata and Anupama.

Since Tejaswini Sriramesh had trounced Deve Gowda in the Kanakapura Lok Sabha constituency, the party decided that this was proof that women candidates like Mamata and Anupama would naturally put Kumaraswamy and Revanna on the back foot.

Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy and Revanna have plenty to explain to the voters of the State—and to the country. The corruption in their (and their family’s) business dealings, the casteism and nepotism in their official appointments, their public and private conduct, their doublespeak, their backstabbing, etc.

Instead of countering all that, instead of seeking answers, all that the Congress can come up with are two goongi gudiyas puppeteered by ultra-slimeballs on some jyotishi‘s advice.

What a bloody shame.

Or is the Congress just preparing the ground for a tie-up with the Janata Dal (Secular) again by putting up dummies?

next time, let astrologers have a caucus to decide who wins and who does’nt. Let us keep it that plain and simple. The majestic Vidanasouda, that rules us, is far away from post modern world given the amount of ignorance, blind faith and illiteracy in and around it.

oLLe ‘kaavyaanjali’ serial nodidahaagagtide..batte harkond odhogbeku…andahaage what is this ‘nichani’. Is this a deliberate corruption perpetrated by low esteemed kannadigas like ‘nikekaani’ for nilEkaNi. or has she married some gujju bhai?

We seem to have a knack of turning everything into a Tamil versus Kannada debate. We should be asking why the Congress has sidestepped the local strong man C.M. Lingappa and given a ticket to a rank outsider, why other Congress women have been ignored, etc. Instead, we are only demonstrating why the likes of the Gowdas thrive.

That said, is the mere fact that Mamata Nichani and Anupama Gowda are women or unknown faces likely to go against them? Not if you go by the Tejaswini experience. If she could take on a Deve Gowda and come up trumps, why should the chances of Mamata or Anupama be dismissed so easily?

Just two days ago we were being told that children of Congressmen wouldn’t be given tickets. What happened?

It has actually become a parody of itself. No situation or event is so absurd or ridiculous that it has not actually happened in Indian politics.
Comedy writers will consistently find themselves outclassed by reality for sheer hilarity.

Who were the ones calling it ‘Ramanagaram’ definitely not the localites. When it is mentioned as Ramanagara taluk how did it become Ramanagaram? The reason being at that time the bureaucracy consisted mostly of tamil brahmins, now how can you expect a tamil brahmin to call it Ramanagara. They peacefully recorded it as ‘Ramanagaram’

If one looks at Malleshwara and Basavangudi. One sees most of the huge palatial plots are owned by tamil brahmins. From what I have heard, when these areas were created non of the erstwhile bengaloorians had the wherewithal to buy them. It was alloted to members of the bureaucracy and a stipulated amount was cut from their salary every month.

Post was on the ladies taking on the Gowda family and the discussion turns away to Ramanagara(m) . And that happens even without the politicians maneuvering. What a pity!
Whether it is Ramnagara or Ramanagaram, these politicians are taking the sunshine out of the life of the proud sons and daughters of the soil.

The Ramanagara/Ramanagaram topic is far more interesting than the farce being played out in that town or wherever else, during this election or any other.

Talk about politicians and journalists being out of touch with reality; these idiots can’t even get the name of a town-turned-district right. And people expect a serious discussion on who gets a ticket? HA!

“Ramanagaram” can very well be Sanskrit. It is not Kannada, just as Kannada is not Kannad. In the daily speech of Kannada people it comes out as “Ramnagra.” Krishnarajapuram in Bangalore has that non-Kannada suffix because it is located in the midst of non-Kannada area.

SR, thanks for the suggestion. I will check out the website.

As for the women candidates: Anupama is in the field to keep an old family feud alive. Her father once ruled Holenarasipura, Devegowda pretty much being content with Paduvalahippe. I hope she can pay the old score off, although I do not care for the party she represents.
Mamatha Nichani–Neechini–is married to a mega industrialist from Bombay. She can afford to spend tonnes of unearned money in the contest.

I am reminded of how in 2004 Tejaswini Shriramesh Gowda Indra Chandra Mahendra prayed to Devegowda not to commit sthreehathya by defeating her in Kanakapura.

There being no moral earnestness in this contest, I would like to see the major party candidates being defeated by somebody who is unknown, poor, and humble. He must be literate, however.

***

Kumaraswamy said that impotent Kannada MPs had done nothing for Karnataka. He forgot his father was an allowance collecting, no-show MP. Now he says the Congress has no men to field against him. Clearly the underlying assumption is that women somehow are inferior to men. This man is going to be a role model for our children? This man is to represent our culture?

There is such a thing as disagreeing with one’s counterparts without calling them names. Man or woman, a candidate is a candidate. Ammagalira, akkagalira, thangiyara, idara bagge enantheeri?

If we don’t get too involved and judgemental and more importantly, don’t expect too much, don’t you think these developments are just a little interesting? If the two women prove to be mere dummies and fade into oblivion it is different. But what if they really put up some sort of fight? If nothing else, there are some new faces around, even if their only credentials are genes. I am not familiar with either, but it would be good to have alternatives to Tejaswini also.

Somayaji will make Goudas win!
Somayaji will make Kumaraa PM!!!
congress knows what somayaji said these (goudas) soil sons should be careful about Stree(females)
if somayaji is true farther lost against stree
now the prediction of Somayaji for soil sons.
congress wants to believe in same fate game. not in votes not in the work they have done or you are going to do.

Kshudradevi pooja will give almighty spirit to fight against all will and evils

Do you think the people of Karnataka deserve any better than this corrupt farce? or do you think the people of TN deserve any better than a gang of thugs and cronies ruling over them? The same can be said for many other states. Contrast this tamasha with the Gujarat campaign last December that centred on development. We will have better politicians when we have smarter people. Now the Congress is talking of free TVs and saris. If the people fall for it, it’s their fault. Seves them right.

Was it not called Closepet before? Geologically speaking a kind of granite is called Closepet granite about which our engineering college geology lecturer was fond of setting essays to our mates in civil engineering. The change of Closepet name to ‘Ramanagaram’ appeared first in the railway guide (I vaguely remember as a middle school going kid). In those days (in earlly 1950 or there about) it was South Indian Railway, and the railway engineers were mostly from Madras State.

Fortunately the non-Kannada uththara prathryaya “-am” in names shows up only in written expressions and in the mouths of those who do not speak Kannada. It is like calling our brother Chikka “Chikkan”. As Gokula/m, has suggested, we always refer to Jayanagara, Saraswathipura, Jayalakshmipura. The “-am” in South Karnataka is an unwanted gift from Sanskrit; in and around Bengaluru it is definitely Tamil related.

I don’t want our Bommasandras, Doddasandras, Kethamaranahallis to disappear. I am saddened to see our perfect “Aanepalya” become Gajendranagar and Hosalli Vijayanagara. Saarakki, Aadugodi, Marathhalli and the rest of that goldlike land around Bengaluru face a similar prospect. I don’t even want to think about nightmares like Kumaraswamynagara, Revannapuram, Anithaavaram, etc.

What is to stop dropping the “m” in Ramnagara? Of course we all have noticed how Churumuri has played it safe by inserting a backslash between “a” and “m.”

Speaking of such things, our perpetual demonization of Tamil is about to lose its prominence with the Reddy balaga poised to come to power. But the Telugus do not trouble us much. In Karnataka, they speak our language as well as we do.

Ranga, my father and his siblings lived in Ramanagara when he was young and went to school there for a few years. No one recalls the town being called Ramanagaram.

There is a map in the Karnataka Gazetteer (1996 Handbook of Karnataka, Places of Interest, pg.67 online) that shows the town’s name as Ramanagar. But the same publication in 2001 shows it as Ramanagaram!